Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Random Dozen, The Marshmallow Edition

Time for another edition of Random Dozen and you really have to watch the video on Lid's blog to fully appreciate this week's questions. I know EXACTLY how that little boy feels! Which segues nicely into the first question...

1. How good are you at delaying gratification? Getting better. I appreciate the anticipation more now than I did as a child or even as a young adult. I think it has to do with the [perceived] faster passage of time as we get older; I know I won't have to wait THAT long.

2. Maybe a marshmallow wouldn't be too difficult a temptation for you. What food (or anything else) would be most tempting? As much as I go on and on about food, I actually find other things even harder to wait for...like a good book I want to read or a certain fabric for a quilt project. Maybe that has more to do with the fact that those are MUCH harder to find here though.

3. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being saintly) how patient are you? Can you be in the negative? Just kidding.Sort of. Again, this is something I'm getting better at...with age. Or because being impatient takes more energy than I have at this stage of my life.

4. Have you ever waited for something in life only to be disappointed upon realization of the goal/object/etc.? Lots of things. I remember seeing a greeting card once that said "There is joy in the Journey" and I'm convinced that's a cliché because it's TRUE.

5. Are you a person who takes shortcuts? No, but I do like to be efficient and try to find the quickest way to get a job done.

6. Which line is hardest to wait in? Here there are so many, where do I even start?! Probably the one at the post office is most annoying, because they're not only inefficient but purposefully slow and COMPLETELY arbitrary when assigning an amount to the import "tax" on your packages. They can charge $20 on something that only cost $5 in the first place or let a $200 item through for $3. COMPLETELY ARBITRARY. Makes me nuts.

7. Did you wait to discover the gender of your unborn child until its birth? Yes, both times.

8. Are you more patient with children or the elderly? Neither.

9. Did you ever sneak a peek at a present? Sure, whenever I could get away with it.

10. What is the longest you've ever waited for anything? Probably those two plus years we were praying and asking God to make it clear where He wanted us to go as full-time missionaries. But while we're on the subject, there are STILL some things I'm waiting for...

11. Who has more patience, you or your significant other? Definitely Ivan.

12. Which of the following songs about waiting is your pick for the best? (OK, you may substitute another, if you like.)
A) Anticipation by Carly Simon
B) The Waiting by Tom Petty
C) Right Here Waiting for You by Richard Marx
D) Wait for Me by Rebecca St. JamesI'd say Carly Simon's Anticipation. Love that song!

In England any business with a line tested ones patience. But in general everyone seemed to go with the flow. I think we Americans expect things to move much more quickly and have less patience when they don't.

Yep, it sounds like this move should just about finish "patience school" for you - or send you totally over the edge LOL! Some days in Zambia it was a near thing. But then I'd think - what am I in such a hurry for? That would help me relax.